The RC8T CE is the best option from AE's truggy lineup. There are no durabilty issues with the kit trucks. I have a close friend who started with the first kit version, and runs basicallly the same upgrades less some of the blue aluminum. He does not have the AE F.T. chassis brace, steering plate or hubs. He runs what came in this kit almost exactly. He wishes this was around when he bought his, would have saved him a lot of money on adjustable components. He's a good driver, and a Certified GM master mechanic. I've seen him break one hub, bend one suspension pin, and one radio tray that was a mod for putting the lipo Rx up front in the last race season. He has one badass Ex-Tech .24 on it too. WAY too much engine for my taste. If you know what you are doing, it will be just as durable as the rest of the market. The XT8 is a sweet truggy, no doubt. No durabilty issues, handles flawlessly. I've seen it make bad drivers look good, until the "new" wore off of it. Then they are right back to where they started. DNF's!!!! X-Ray parts are kinda pricey though. I'd stick with the RC8TCE, I am..... hopefully. I may have to give up getting a SC10 to pull it off. AE needs to release the damn thing.
Most people who gripe about the durability issues, can't drive or wrench.....Sorry if this pisses someone off, but I did say MOST, NOT ALL! Some people expect too much, overtighten screws, do not do regular maintenance, or are just plain new to the hobby and how to make them hold up. Working with composites and C.F, sometimes a bad part gets out. Sometimes there is a manufactuering issue, AE has owned up to all of them and corrected the few small issues the first RC8's had. I have seen LOTS of RC8, RC8T's go a full race season with little to no trouble. Even the first edition models, all they really needed was the fuel tank replaced.
Bottom line is, it does say "Championship Edition" for a good reason!
